Food and beverage
Dates and batches on bottles, jars, cans, cartons, pouches, sleeves and flexible films, with food-production conditions considered in the specification.
Small-character industrial coding
Continuous inkjet printers (CIJ)
Fast, non-contact printing for dates, batches, identifiers and variable production data on moving products and packs.
What CIJ is for
Small codes at industrial production speeds.
Continuous inkjet creates a non-contact mark by directing charged ink droplets from a printhead to the product. It is a practical starting point when a compact code must be printed reliably on products that keep moving.
Because the printhead does not touch the surface, CIJ can suit curved bottles, cans, films, cables, extrusions and many irregular parts. The correct machine and ink still depend on the actual substrate, code height, speed, print orientation, environment and resistance requirement.
Non-contact coding can be mounted beside, above or below the product path.Typical CIJ applications
Primary packs, products and continuous materials.
Components and parts
Product, batch, line and traceability information on metal, plastic, rubber and coated industrial parts.
Cables and extrusions
Repeated product descriptions, standards, metre marks and identifiers on continuously moving cable, pipe or profile.
Selection checklist
Specify the whole CIJ application.
A sample print is useful, but it should be tested in the context of the real line and downstream process.
Plastic type, coating, glass treatment, metal finish, moisture, contamination and temperature.
Lines of text, character height, message length, data source and required readability.
Metres per minute, products per minute, code length and available print window.
Ambient conditions, IP expectation, ventilation, solvent handling and cleaning regime.
Condensation, abrasion, refrigeration, pasteurisation, chemicals or outdoor exposure.
Operator permissions, stored messages, recipe selection and error-proofing needs.
CIJ integration
Control the product before you control the print.
A rigid bracket, repeatable product position and correctly placed trigger can matter as much as the printer. Encoder tracking may be needed where line speed varies.
- Side, top or underside printhead mounting
- Product detection and speed tracking
- Inputs for job selection or line states
- Output signals for ready, warning and fault
- Optional camera verification and reject control
CIJ FAQs
Questions about continuous inkjet.
What does a continuous inkjet printer print?
A CIJ printer commonly prints dates, batch or lot codes, shift details, counters, product identifiers and simple machine-readable codes. The supported content depends on the selected model and production speed.
Can CIJ print on plastic, glass and metal?
Yes, CIJ is used on many non-porous and porous materials. Ink selection and sample testing are important because adhesion, drying and resistance vary with the exact material, coating and process.
Does CIJ need to touch the product?
No. The printhead applies a controlled stream of ink droplets across a small air gap, which makes CIJ useful for moving, curved or slightly irregular products.
What affects CIJ code quality?
Print distance, product movement, trigger position, line-speed tracking, substrate condition, ink, environment and maintenance all influence the final code.
Related CIJ guidance
Check cost, ink and maintenance before choosing a model.
CIJ printer cost
Compare the complete coding station and lifetime running assumptions.
Cost guidePlastic, glass and metal
Plan ink adhesion, drying, contrast and resistance testing.
Substrate guideCIJ maintenance
Build operator routines, service access and spares into the project.
Maintenance guideDefine the right CIJ printer and ink.
Send a product or substrate description, the code, line speed and operating environment. Sample materials can then be discussed where useful.
What is a continuous inkjet printer?
A continuous inkjet printer forms small non-contact codes by deflecting charged ink droplets onto a moving product. It is commonly used for date, batch and variable data where line speed, substrate, code size, ink adhesion and maintenance must be assessed together.